Hiking 35 miles in Colorado's San Juan Mountains
Kraig AdamsJun 2020 · With friends
- Days
- 2 days
- Direction
- Out and back each time: Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn from Capitol City,…
- Cost
- about $175
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
San Juan Mountains
San Juan Mountains, Colorado
- Distance
- 32.7 mi52.7 km
- Days
- 2 days
- Elevation gain
- 10,653 ft3,247 m
- High point
- 14,314 ft4,363 m
- Season
- July to September, when the trails are…
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / San Juan Mountains
In June 2020 my younger brother Kurtis and I climbed Uncompahgre and Handies, and climbed toward Wetterhorn, in the San Juan Mountains above Lake City, Colorado. We parked at Capitol City on Henson Creek Road, walked up the North Fork in the evening to a snowy camp below Matterhorn Peak, climbed Uncompahgre Peak the next day, climbed toward Wetterhorn Peak the morning after, hiked out to the car, and that same evening drove around to the Cinnamon Pass road and climbed Handies Peak, coming down by headlamp. About 32.7 miles (52.7 km) and 10,650 ft of climbing in three days by my GPS. It's the trip from my film Hiking 35 miles in Colorado's San Juan Mountains.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Very hard · about 16 mi (26 km) and 5,326 ft (1,624 m) of climbing a day over 2 days, up to 14,314 ft (4,363 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation9,711–14,311 ft32.7 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
The film
Watch it first
Hiking 35 miles in Colorado's San Juan Mountains
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Capitol City on Henson Creek Road, about 9,720 ft (2,960 m), 9 miles from Lake City; Handies from the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead, about 10,400 ft (3,175 m)
- Finish
- Capitol City on Henson Creek Road, about 9,720 ft (2,960 m), 9 miles from Lake City; Handies from the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead, about 10,400 ft (3,175 m)
- Direction
- Out and back each time: Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn from Capitol City, Handies from its own trailhead
- Usual difficulty
- Uncompahgre and Handies: class 2 hiking at high altitude. Wetterhorn: a class 3 scramble with exposure and loose rock. In June, snow on all three
- Best time
- July to September, when the trails are mostly dry and the roads open. Afternoon storms are almost daily from mid-July to late August, so start before dawn and be off the summits by noon. In June expect snow.
- Permits
- No permit. Uncompahgre Wilderness rules: groups of 15 at most, camp 100 ft from trails and water, no fires above tree line, no drones
- Getting there
- Lake City (about 8,670 ft) is the base for all three peaks. It's a small mountain town with a grocery store, gas, a gear shop and a medical center.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What Kraig carried
a green tent, a sleeping bag and a pad · an ice axe · a squeeze filter · a stove and a pot · a headlamp · jackets · sunscreen · the AllTrails app and 17 more.
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911. Hinsdale County Sheriff (970) 944-2291. No signal on most of the route.
Phone signal
- In Lake City.
- Mostly not on Henson Creek Road, the North Fork or the Cinnamon Pass road.
Insurance
- Colorado's search and rescue card costs $5 a year or $20 for five years (Colorado Parks and Wildlife). It pays the rescue teams back; it isn't insurance.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Capitol City to camp below Matterhorn Peak. It's a short road walk. If you start late or the snow is deep in the trees, camp lower, near the trailhead, and start earlier the next day.
- Day 2, Uncompahgre Peak from camp. The plateau is the place to decide. If clouds are building, turn around before the south ridge: there's no shelter for miles. In June, if the snow is hard and steep and you don't have an ice axe or traction, turn around.
- Day 3, Wetterhorn Peak and out to Capitol City. The 13,100 ft saddle is the place to decide. If the gully above holds steep snow and you don't have an ice axe and the skill to use it, or there are storms building, or other people are above you knocking rocks down, go back down. The class 3 pitch is no place to be in a storm.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 2 days, about $175, tent.
Hiking 35 miles in Colorado's San Juan Mountains
Walked San Juan Mountains? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
Your time
Sign in and log a few hikes to see how long this one would take you.
Typical: 2 days (the hike's facts).
Ask this hike
Planning questions about San Juan Mountains, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
From hikers
Comments
Sign in to comment. Free; your hikes stay private unless you share them.
Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for San Juan Mountains?
By my GPS, 4.5 miles from Capitol City to a camp below Matterhorn Peak, 11.4 miles round trip to Uncompahgre from there, 4.5 miles toward Wetterhorn and 4.2 miles back out. With Handies, 32.7 miles and about 10,650 ft of climbing in three days.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does San Juan Mountains cost?
A 4-day trip from Denver for two people, in your own car, comes to about $350, or about $175 each:
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike San Juan Mountains?
July to September, when the trails are mostly dry and the roads open. Afternoon storms are almost daily from mid-July to late August, so start before dawn and be off the summits by noon. In June expect snow.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for San Juan Mountains?
No. In 2026 there was no permit, quota or trailhead fee for any of the three. The Uncompahgre Wilderness order limits groups to 15 and bans campfires above tree line, and drones are prohibited in Wilderness.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Are Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn open after the 2026 fires?
Yes, by September 2026. The Gold Mountain and Elk fires closed much of the Uncompahgre Wilderness that summer; the Uncompahgre trail reopened July 29 and Wetterhorn August 24, and local news reported the last Elk Fire closures lifted September 15. Check the GMUG alerts page before you go.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a 4WD for Wetterhorn and Handies?
No. Any car can reach Capitol City in summer, where we parked and walked. Only the last 0.7 mile to the upper Matterhorn Creek trailhead needs high-clearance 4WD. For Handies, careful 2WD drivers usually reach the Silver Creek / Grizzly Gulch trailhead in summer (as reported).
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How hard is Wetterhorn Peak?
Harder than Uncompahgre or Handies: a class 3 scramble on an exposed ridge with loose rock near the top, where a helmet makes sense. In early June we found a steep snow gully and carried an ice axe.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.